2002 NISSAN XTERRA ignition

Foldable outside mirrors
Push the mirror backward to fold it.
OUTSIDE MIRROR REMOTE
CONTROL (if so equipped)
The outside mirror control operates only
when the ignition switch is in the ACC or ON
position.
Select the right or left side mirror, then
adjust using the control lever.
WARNING
Objects viewed in the outside mirror on
the passenger side are closer than they
appear. Be careful when moving to the
right. Using only this mirror could cause
an accident. Use the inside mirror or
glance over your shoulder to properly
judge distances to other objects.
WPD0056LPD0065
3-16Pre-driving checks and adjustments
ZX

RADIO
Turn the ignition key to ACC or ON and
press the power on switch to turn on the
radio. If you listen to the radio with the
engine not running, the key should be
turned to the ACC position.
Radio reception is affected by station signal
strength, distance from radio transmitter,
buildings, bridges, mountains and other ex-
ternal influences. Intermittent changes in
reception quality normally are caused by
these external influences.
Using a cellular phone in or near the
vehicle may influence radio reception
quality.
Radio reception
Your NISSAN radio system is equipped with
state-of-the-art electronic circuits to en-
hance radio reception. These circuits are
designed to extend reception range, and to
enhance the quality of that reception.
However there are some general character-
istics of both FM and AM radio signals that
can affect radio reception quality in a mov-
ing vehicle, even when the finest equipment
is used. These characteristics are com-pletely normal in a given reception area,
and do not indicate any malfunction in your
NISSAN radio system.
Reception conditions will constantly change
because of vehicle movement. Buildings,
terrain, signal distance and interference
from other vehicles can work against ideal
reception. Described below are some of the
factors that can affect your radio reception.
FM RADIO RECEPTION
Range: FM range is normally limited to 25 to
30 miles (40 to 48 km), with monaural
(single channel) FM having slightly more
range than stereo FM. External influences
may sometimes interfere with FM station
reception even if the FM station is within 25
miles (40 km). The strength of the FM signal
is directly related to the distance between
the transmitter and receiver. FM signals
follow a line-of-sight path, exhibiting many
of the same characteristics as light. For
example they will reflect off objects.
Fade and drift: As your vehicle moves away
from a station transmitter, the signals will
tend to fade and/or drift.
Static and flutter: During signal interference
from buildings, large hills or due to antennaposition, usually in conjunction with in-
creased distance from the station transmit-
ter, static or flutter can be heard. This can be
reduced by adjusting the treble control
counterclockwise to reduce treble re-
sponse.
Multipath reception: Because of the reflec-
tive characteristics of FM signals, direct and
reflected signals reach the receiver at the
same time. The signals may cancel each
other, resulting in momentary flutter or loss
of sound.
AM RADIO RECEPTION
AM signals, because of their low frequency,
can bend around objects and skip along the
ground. In addition, the signals can be
bounced off the ionosphere and bent back
to earth. Because of these characteristics.
AM signals are also subject to interference
as they travel from transmitter to receiver.
Fading: Occurs while the vehicle is passing
through freeway underpasses or in areas
with many tall buildings. It can also occur for
several seconds during ionospheric turbu-
lence even in areas where no obstacles
exist.
Static: Caused by thunderstorms, electrical
AUDIO SYSTEM
4-10Heater, air conditioner and audio systems
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FM-AM RADIO WITH COMPACT
DISC (CD) PLAYER (if so
equipped)
Audio main operation
Radio reception is affected by station signal
strength, distance from radio transmitter,
buildings, bridges, mountains, and other
external influences. Intermittent changes in
reception quality normally are caused by
these external influences.
Using a cellular phone in or near the
vehicle may influence radio reception
quality.
PWR/VOL control
Turn the ignition key to the ACC or ON
position, then push the PWR/VOL control
knob button. If you listen to the radio with
the engine not running, turn the key to the
ACC position. The mode (radio or CD)
which was playing immediately before the
system was turned off resumes playing.
When no CD is loaded, the radio comes on.
Push the PWR/VOL control knob button
again turns the system off.Turn the PWR/VOL control knob to the right
to increase volume or to the left to decrease
volume.
Adjusting tone quality and speaker bal-
ance
To adjust the audio levels for bass, treble,
fader, and balance, push the AUDIO button
and adjust the level with the SEEK/TRACK
button. Press the AUDIO button once for
BAS (bass), twice for TRE (treble), three
times for FAD (fader) and four times for BAL
(balance). Once the audio level is set the
display will return back to radio or CD
display mode after 7 seconds or the AUDIO
button can be pressed again within 7 sec-
onds to set the next audio level. Pressing
the AUDIO button a fifth time will return the
display back to radio or CD display mode.
Fader adjusts the sound level between the
front and rear speakers, balance adjusts the
sound level between the right and left
speakers.
Clock set
Press and hold the MENU button for more
than 2 seconds the radio beeps and the
hours flash, use the SEEK/TRACK button to
set the hour, press the MENU button again
until the radio beeps and the minutes flash,
LHA0118
Heater, air conditioner and audio systems4-13
ZX

Station memory operations
Each preset mode (A, B or C) has 6 presets,
capable of storing any combination of AM,
FM and FM RDS stations.Press the PRESET ABC button to change
between the presets:
A!B!C
The radio displays icon A, B or C to indicate
which set of presets is active.
1. Tune to the desired station.
2. Push the desired station select button for
more than 3 seconds. For example, in
the illustrations ch2 is to be memorized.
The radio mutes when the select button
is pushed.
3. When the indicator illuminates in the
display and the sound resumes, memo-
rizing is complete.
4. Other station select buttons can be set in
the same manner.
If the battery cable is disconnected, or if the
radio fuse opens, the radio memory is can-
celled. In that case, reset the desired stations.
Compact disc (CD) player operation
Turn the ignition key to the ACC or ON
position and carefully insert the compact
disc into the slot with the label side up. The
compact disc is automatically pulled into the
slot and starts to play.If the radio is already operating, it automati-
cally turns off and the compact disc begins
to play.
CAUTION
Do not force the compact disc into the
slot. This could damage the player.
CD/CHG
When the
button is pushed with the
compact disc loaded or the radio playing,
the radio turns off and compact disc starts to
play.
Track up/down, FF/REV
Track up/down
When the
button is pushed while the
compact disc is playing, the selection fol-
lowing the present one starts to play from
the beginning. Push the
button several
times to skip several selections. Each time
the button is pushed, the CD advances one
additional selection. The number appears in
the display window. (When the last selection
on the compact disc is skipped, the first
selection is played.)
When the
button is pushed, the selection
LHA0119
Heater, air conditioner and audio systems4-15
ZX

FM-AM RADIO WITH COMPACT
DISC (CD) CHANGER (if so
equipped)
ONzOFF/VOL control
Turn the ignition key to the ACC or ON
position, then push the PWR control knob. If
you listen to the radio with the engine not
running, turn the key to the ACC position.
The mode (radio or CD) that was playing
immediately before the system was turned
off resumes playing.
When no CD is loaded, the radio comes on.
Pushing the PWR control knob again turns
the system off.
Turn the PWR control knob to the right to
increase volume or to the left to decrease
volume.
WHA0065
4-18Heater, air conditioner and audio systems
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Setting RDS Mode
Press the RDS button (>3 seconds) until the
display showsªRDS SET MODEº. This
display will last 2 seconds and then change
toªTRAFFIC-OFFº. Press TUNE/FF-REV
(
or) to toggle the RDS traffic mode
from ªOFFº to ªONº. Press the RDS button
again to set your traffic mode selection.
The display changes toªSHOWºfor the
second part of the RDS mode selection.
Press TUNE/FF-REV (
or) to switch
between the following RDS display modes:
OªFM & RDSº: the radio display will show
the station's broadcast frequency and the
station's name.
OªRDS ONLYº: the radio display will show
the station's name only.
OªRDS TEMPº: the radio display will show
the station's name for 5 seconds and
then display only the radio station's
broadcast frequency.
PTY (Program Type)
PTY can be used to search for a certain
program type. Certain areas have a limited
number of stations that transmit RDS. Many
stations transmit call letters and frequenciesonly. Searching or scanning by program
type may yield a limited number of selec-
tions.
1. Press the PTY button. The display
changes fromªRDS PTY SEARCHºto
ªSELECT BY TUNEº.
2. Press TUNE/FF-REV (
or)
up/down button to choose a specific pro-
gram type:
ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK, SOFT ROCK,
TOP 40, COUNTRY, JAZZ, CLASSICAL,
OLDIES, NEWS, SPORTS, TALK, ANY
3. Press the SEEK or SCAN button to
search for the next station with the se-
lected PTY. The SCAN icon flashes when
the SCAN button is pressed. The radio
continues to seek or scan until a radio
station is found matching the selected
PTY.
4. Press the PTY button again to cancel the
PTY SEEK mode.
Compact disc (CD) operation
Turn the ignition key to the ACC or ON
position.
CAUTION
ODo not force a compact disc (CD)
into the CD insert slot. This could
damage the CD and/or CD changer.
OTrying to load a CD with the CD door
closed could damage the CD and/or
CD changer.
CD button
When the CD button is pressed with a
compact disc loaded and the radio playing,
the radio turns off and the last used compact
disc starts to play.
4-24Heater, air conditioner and audio systems
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5 Starting and driving
Precautions when starting and driving ...................5-2
Exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) .......................5-2
Three-way catalyst ............................................5-3
On-pavement and off-road driving
precautions ........................................................5-3
Avoiding collision and rollover ...........................5-3
Drinking alcohol/drugs and driving ....................5-4
Driving safety precautions .................................5-4
Ignition switch .........................................................5-6
Automatic transmission .....................................5-6
Manual transmission..........................................5-7
Key positions .....................................................5-7
Before starting the engine ......................................5-8
Starting the engine .................................................5-8
Driving the vehicle ..................................................5-9
Automatic transmission (if so equipped) ...........5-9
Manual transmission........................................5-13
Parking brake .......................................................5-14
Cruise control (if so equipped) .............................5-15
Precautions on cruise control ..........................5-15
Cruise control operations ................................5-16Break-in schedule ................................................5-17
Increasing fuel economy ......................................5-17
Using four-wheel drive .........................................5-18........................5-18
Transfer case shifting procedures ...................5-18
Auto-lock free-running hubs ............................5-19
Manual-lock free-running hubs.............................5-22
Parking/parking on hills ........................................5-24
Power steering .....................................................5-25
Brake system........................................................5-25
Braking precautions .........................................5-25
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) .........................5-26
Cold weather driving ............................................5-27
Freeing a frozen door lock ..............................5-27
Anti-freeze .......................................................5-27
Battery .............................................................5-27
Draining of coolant water ................................5-27
Tire equipment.................................................5-28
Special winter equipment ................................5-28
Driving on snow or ice.....................................5-28
Engine block heater (if so equipped) ..............5-29
ZX

THREE-WAY CATALYST
The three-way catalyst is an emission control
device installed in the exhaust system. Ex-
haust gases in the converter are burned at
high temperatures to help reduce pollutants.
WARNING
OThe exhaust gas and the exhaust
system are very hot. Keep people,
animals or flammable materials
away from the exhaust system com-
ponents.
ODo not stop or park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags. They
may ignite and cause a fire.
CAUTION
ODo not use leaded gasoline. Depos-
its from leaded gasoline will seri-
ously reduce the three-way cata-
lyst's ability to help reduce exhaust
pollutants.
OKeep your engine tuned up. Malfunc-
tions in the ignition, fuel injection, or
electrical systems can cause over-rich fuel flow into the three-way cata-
lyst, causing it to overheat. Do not
keep driving if the engine misfires,
or if noticeable loss of performance
or other unusual operating condi-
tions are detected. Have the vehicle
inspected promptly by an authorized
NISSAN dealer.
OAvoid driving with an extremely low
fuel level. Running out of fuel could
cause the engine to misfire, damag-
ing the three-way catalyst.
ODo not race the engine while warm-
ing it up.
ODo not push or tow your vehicle to
start the engine.
ON-PAVEMENT AND OFF-ROAD
DRIVING PRECAUTIONS
Utility vehicles have a significantly
higher rollover rate than other types of
vehicles.
They have higher ground clearance than
passenger cars to make them capable of
performing in a variety of on-pavement and
off-road applications. This gives them ahigher center of gravity than ordinary cars.
An advantage of higher ground clearance is
a better view of the road, allowing you to
anticipate problems. However, they are not
designed for cornering at the same speeds
as conventional two-wheel drive vehicles
any more than low-slung sports cars are
designed to perform satisfactorily under
off-road conditions. If at all possible, avoid
sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers particu-
larly at high speeds. As with other vehicles
of this type, failure to operate this vehicle
correctly may result in loss of control or
vehicle rollover.
Be sure to read the driving safety precau-
tions later in this section.
AVOIDING COLLISION AND
ROLLOVER
WARNING
Failure to operate this vehicle in a safe
and prudent manner may result in loss
of control or an accident.
Be alert and drive defensively at all times.
Obey all traffic regulations. Avoid excessive
speed, high speed cornering, or sudden
steering maneuvers, because these driving
Starting and driving
5-3
ZX